A Stellar Stars Christmas Carol
by AirDragonAria
Summary: On Christmas Eve, Nala makes her wishes abundantly clear that she hates the holiday and doesn't want to celebrate it. Before long, however, three spirits arrive to get her to change her ways. Can she change, or will she hate Christmas forever? Stellar Stars parody to Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. Rated K because there should be no battles, just a Christmas tale.
1. Chapter 1 - Nala's Thoughts Revealed

_Chapter 1_

It was Christmas Eve. The houses in Anistar City were decorated and shone with a sweet glow. Trainers and their Pokemon were out doing some last minute shopping.

Sammy herself was doing just that, so her Pokemon were still inside the house. They had been ordered not to leave.

One Pokemon was making sure that nothing fun happened.

"Augh. Jayla, stop pulling pranks on me!" yelled Nala, the agitated Pyroar.

"But it's fun!" whined Jayla the Pikachu. "Nala, lighten up. It's Christmas Eve!"

"Christmas, bah humbug Pokemon!" sighed Nala.

"Nala, you're such a downer!" retorted Jayla as she walked off.

Nala sniffed. She didn't like one little thing about Christmas. What was the point? All it celebrated was the birth of Arceus's son. To her it was just considered another birthday. And besides, she needed to train. Everyone needed to train. Celebrating a Pokemon's birthday that they didn't even know was ridiculous in her eyes. All she cared about was training, and she was going to get the others to see it her way.

"Bah humbug Pokemon," she muttered again.

She looked over what was going on. Jayla was pulling another prank on Avacream the Avalugg, but the gentle Ice-Type was laughing. Cecilis the Lapras was with the four youngest members Tosca the Carbink, Base-Line and High-Line the two shiny Basculin sisters and Keyana the Klefki as they prepared to sing carols on the big day. Tor the Greninja and Flazie the Talonflame were staring at the Christmas tree as his arm and her wing touched each other's backs. Axel the Haxorus, Barksey the Simisage and Kingston the Tyrantrum were teasing poor Airlight the Ampharos once more as he charged up the Christmas lights. Sarah the female Lucario was leaning against the wall, chatting with Masked Bird the Hawlucha and Mystrir the Aegislash. Everyone looked like they were having fun.

Lila the Butterfree fluttered up to Nala. "Hey Nala. Would you like to put the last book on the tree?"

"No," replied Nala bitterly.

"Are you sure?" asked Lila. "You're the only one who hasn't read -"

"I said no, so back off!" repeated Nala, growling.

Lila looked offended, and she fluttered off sadly.

"I wish those guys would stop asking me to do that sort of thing," the Royal Pokemon thought to herself.

Keyana floated up to her out of nowhere. Behind her the other three and Cecilis smiled.

"Hi, miss Nala," she said sweetly. "We were wondering if you could help us with something."

"What?" seethed Nala.

"Well, we would like it if you could use your Flamethrower move to give light to other Pokemon," the Pokemon explained. "You see, there are lots of abandoned Pokemon that we feel should get a bright Christmas this year, so -"

"Listen up," interrupted Nala. "I will not, repeat NOT have anything to do with Christmas. And that includes HELPING OUT JUST FOR A STINKING HOLIDAY THAT ONLY LASTS ONE DAY!"

As Nala's voice rose into a roar, the others gasped and turned around. Nala herself was oblivious to this and glared at Keyana with a stare that could intimidate Darkrai.

Keyana was silent. She stared back at Nala as she took in the sudden response. Before anyone could say 'Oh Arceus', the young Pokemon burst into tears and floated upstairs.

"Keyana, wait!" yelled Cecilis as she used Psychic to levitate and get herself up the stairs.

The other Pokemon turned back to their tasks sadly.

Nala didn't even look sorry for Keyana's sadness. She huffed and padded to the archway.

"I'm headin' to bed," she announced. "Goodnight."

She was met with no response. Nala didn't care and headed into the bedroom. She got comfortable in her bed and settled in for a good night's sleep.

Little did she know that the night was going to be less comfortable than she would have liked.


	2. Chapter 2 - Silva's Warning

Chapter 2

A faint clatter brought Nala around from her sleep. Her blue eyes snapped open and she lifted her head. The other Pokemon had not retired to bed yet so she was still all alone. Assuming it was just Jayla pulling another prank, Nala called, "Look Jayla. Stop it alright? Leave me alone." She then went back to sleep.

Another clatter of metal made the Pokemon rise again. She furiously buried her head in her paws so she couldn't hear anything and tried to go back to sleep.

A third clatter made her leap out of bed and scan the area.

"Alright, who's there?!" she yelled. "Show yourself!"

"If you say so," came a ghostly wail.

Nala suddenly felt the fur on her back stand up on end. The voice seemed to come from behind her and it chilled her to her fiery mane.  
She quickly turned, her mouth full of fire, ready to fry the intruder.

She could see the outline of a Pokemon in front of her. Issuing a roar, Nala let out the attack.

The fire went _right through the Pokemon!_

Nala suddenly felt a chill run down her spine as the Pokemon advanced on her. She backed away until she was met with a wall.

"Nala, don't you remember me?" came a familiar voice.

Nala took a closer look at the Pokemon and gasped when she recognized who it was.

"Silva?!" she exclaimed.

Floating just a few inches from the floor was the ghost of Silva the Sylveon. He had a white outline around the whole of his body and his eyes seemed to be darker than their usual blue. What was most unusual, however, were the chains that were wrapped around the ghost. Silva's feelers were also chained and they held items such as vitamins and the EXP Share. These chained seemed to be heavy for the Sylveon to carry and he eventually landed on the floor to regain his strength.

"But ... but ..." stuttered Nala. "You died!"

"Yes, I did," replied Silva, exasperated.

"I saw you. That Dragalge killed you with its Sludge Bomb! I saw you fall! I saw you die!"

"Yes, it was unfortunate. I thought that my training would prevent me from falling. Obviously no matter how hard I trained, I would never be perfect," sighed Silva.

"But training was always what you encouraged me to do. You were my friend, Silva, and I'd listen to you no matter what."

"That is why you're so foolish!" yelled Silva. Nala jumped slightly.

"Look at you. Training has become your life, so much so that you've isolated yourself from everyone. You think that everyone should train so that we can be as strong as we can! To make us perfect!"

Nala nodded.

"Training will never make you perfect, Nala. I thought it would and look at me now. Covered in chains that prevent me from entering the spirit world. Doomed to drift throughout the different realities of time and space."

Nala nodded again.

"These chains were forged from the decisions I made in life. The decisions to train over everything else. And if you think these are bad Nala, then you should see yours. You're not even dead yet and yours are longer and heavier than mine!"

"That's not possible," argued Nala. Silva shushed her.

"I'm here to make sure you change your ways and not become like me. Tonight, three Pokemon will visit you, all ones that you know. They will show you the light. Heed what they say or else you will find yourself in a rather ... horrid situation."

"What do you mean 'horrid'?" asked Nala cautiously.

"You'll see what I mean when the time comes," replied Silva, as he began to drift away. "Now I must leave you. Good luck ..."

As Silva's body turned to leave, Nala gripped one of his chains and pulled him to the floor.

"What the-" exclaimed Silva.

"Funny trick, Jayla," seethed Nala. "I know you got a wild Ditto to morph itself into Silva. To do that, though, you had to get it to engulf you without killing you. But I've caught you now!"

"This is the last time I visit this team again!" muttered Silva as a blanket was thrust over him.

Nala used Strength to attack the Pokemon, but she ended up hitting the carpet instead. Curious, she lifted the blanket to discover ... nothing.

"Gah! What the Arceus?" she asked herself.

Silva had vanished. Nala shivered and decided it had been a hallucination.

"No more Chople Berries for me," she groaned.

The Royal Pokemon climbed back into bed and fell fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3 - Ghost of Christmas Past

_Chapter 3_

"Wooooo. Woooooooooo!"

An attempt at a ghostly wail made Nala wake up about an hour later. She was personally getting annoyed at being woken up.  
She lifted her head, only to get a big cloak in the face.

"What the-" she exclaimed for the second time.

Once she'd removed the cloak, she saw that Mirela the Noivern was the culprit behind the pathetic attempt at the wail. She shone with a yellow glow and wore a choker with sparkly gems on it. Her cloak (which now lay on the floor) was a golden colour and decorated with lots of Christmas trees, but they had no decorations on them. Not one bauble; not one piece of tinsel; not even one Fairy Pokemon light.

"Mirela!" yelled Nala angrily and she shot a Flamethrower at her. But just like Silva, the fire went straight through the Sound Wave Pokemon's body.

"Ooh! I needed a warm up!" giggled Mirela.

"What are you doing in here?" asked Nala, growling.

"I'm here to show you your Christmas past!" chirped Mirela, a little too enthusiastically for the Fire-Type.

"My what?" questioned Nala, confused as to what the Dragon/Flying Type Pokemon said.

"Your Christ-mas past," repeated Mirela, making her words easier to understand.

"I know that!" snapped Nala. "It's just ... you can't take me back in time. You don't have the power!"

"Oh didn't you know?" informed Mirela. "Dialga gave me and the others the power to travel in time!"

"Dialga?!" exclaimed Nala. "OK, this HAS to be a dream. Dialga is a legendary; it would NEVER come out unless Palkia was nearby."

"Oh yeah!" continued Mirela. "Palkia was there too. It bestowed upon us the ability to take you along too!"

"Get out!" yelled Nala, grabbing her pillow in the mouth and throwing it across the room. Mirela shielded herself as the pillow went through her.

"Ooh we DO have a grumpy one here," she said. "Mmm, mm, mm. I'll just have to do something about that won't I?"

And with that she put on her cloak, took Nala's body in her claws and shot a glistening fireball at Nala's bed.

"My bed!" cried Nala.

Mirela rolled her eyes but kept smiling.

The fireball dispersed into a shimmering portal that was golden and wide enough for both Pokemon to fly through.

And that is what Mirela did. With Nala in her grip she flew through the entrance. As soon as she had, it shrank and dispersed into gold dust.

"Let go of me you stupid bat!" complained Nala as she batted her team-mate's spirit with her tail. Unlike the objects, her tail seemed to strike the Pokemon and this made Nala feel more trimuphant.

Mirela ignored the attacks and took a deep breath.

"Ahh," she sighed. "It's nice to go through a time portal, huh, Nala?"

"No, I don - woah."

Nala's tail fell back to its usual limp self as the Royal Pokemon took in the surroundings for the first time. She looked around in awe as the golden rays of light tickled her nose. She thought it looked beautiful ...

... until some gold dust that flew past her muzzle casued her to sneeze and change her opinion.

"We're almost there!" announced Mirela.

"Good," muttereed Nala. "I'll finally be able to get off this loony train."

The two girls flew through a bright white light ...

Mirela gracefully landed on some snow. Nala was less lucky and ended up skidding a few feet forward when she landed.

"Why you-" she started but Mirela shushed her.

"Here we are!" she cried gleefully.

"What time is it?" asked Nala.

"Why it's Christmas Eve!" exclaimed Mirela.

Nala growled again but stopped when she realised where they were.

The pair were in a forest, but it was blanketed by snow. Nala gasped as she saw the trees; they felt familiar to her. As the pair moved forward they eventually found a cave where a little Litleo and its father Pyroar were standing. The Litleo was positioned in front of a target but it had a rather sad look on its face.

As the two Pokemon from the future came closer, Nala recognized the Litleo and suddenly her ears drooped and she had a solemn look on her face.

"Come on child!" the male Pyroar yelled. "Your Ember must be stronger or else you'll never survive!"

"What Litleo would stay inside on this Christmas Eve?" asked Mirela rhetorically. "It's ridiculous! Look; it's not even celebrating! No decor, nothing!"

Mirela kept on scowling until she noticed the look on Nala's face. Suddenly she realised the truth.

"Oh Arceus ..." she whispered.

"Father never let me go out anywhere," sighed Nala. "Not even on Christmas. He made me work harder and train until I was as good as I could get in his eyes. He said I had a special gift in special attacking. As such he banned decorating the cave in December - or in any other month."

"Oh Nala," soothed Mirela. "I never knew ..."

Nala sighed again before her expression hardened.

"It's partly because of his dedication to helping me that I became what I am today."

"Partly?" asked Mirela.

At that moment an little Eevee walked into the cave.

"Mr Pyroar, I have come to help Nala train. Is that alright?" it asked.

"Go ahead Silva," replied the Pyroar. "She doesn't seem to be listening to me. I'm sure she'll listen to you."

The Pyroar turned to his daughter.

"Now you listen here," he warned. "I want you to listen to everything Silva says. He is the best battler I've ever seen. Being your friend, he should help you. I don't want you to do anything else until you've done your training. If you do anything else, there'll be big trouble."

The young Nala nodded in agreement.

"Off you go," said her father and he pushed her outside. "And good ridance," he muttered to himself.

"Come on Nala!" cried Silva.

"I'm coming Silv," said Nala gloomily.

The adult Nala and Mirela looked on as the children wandered off.

"Silva kept pushing me and pushing me. Eventually he became convinced that he was perfect and pushed me even harder. That was what led to his death."

"Nala, I'm so sorry," apologized Mirela.

"Wait a moment!" cried Nala. "Follow me!"

Mirela followed the adult Pyroar into a clearing where a bunch of the wild Pokemon were circled around a huge pine tree. It was covereed in decorations made from the forest's natural materials. The young Nala and Silva were just arriving.

"I remember this," said Nala, a smile creeping across her muzzle. "We faked training to see the annual celebration. Father would never let me see it. We were gonna perform a special combo attack for Christmas."

"Come on Silv!" yelled the young Nala.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" replied Silva as he climbed the steps to the rock platform.

Together the two stood in front of the other families.

"We're gonna perform a special combo move for you!" announced Nala.

Cheers could be heard.

Nala and Silva got into pisition. Then Nala let forth an Ember. Silva countered with Swift. The stars burst into red and yellow sparkles as it came into contact with the Ember. Showers of sparks from the Ember also came down and everyone awed at the sight. They cheered for the pair.

"Yes! It worked!" cried Nala.

"Yes!" replied Silva.

As the crowd calmed down, the pair got down from the stage.

"Nala, could you take this for me?" asked Silva out of nowhere.

"What is it?" asked Nala.

"Here," said Silva, and he passed over a gleaming purple jewel.

"Oh Silva it's beautiful!" exclaimed Nala. "Thank you!"

"It's a token of our friendship," explained Silva. "Keep it forever."

"Thank you again Silva," thanked Nala and she gave him a peck.

"That's where I got my purple jewel for my bracelet," sighed Nala. "Silva was so wonderful back then -"

"NALA!"

Suddenly Nala's name boomed throughout the clearing. All the families turned and grew terrified of her father who was walking towards her.

"Oh no," gasped Nala. "My father ... he was the leader of us all back then. Mirela, please ... please take me home!"

"Why?" asked Mirela.

"Just take me home now! Please!" begged Nala.

"If you say so," replied Mirela sadly and the scene before Nala turned a bright white. The younger Nala was just about to be confronted by her father ...


	4. Chapter 4 - Ghost of Christmas Present

Chapter 4

"Gah!" exclaimed Nala when she woke up.

Mirela was nowhere in sight. Nala glanced at her bracelet and was reminded of Silva's gift to her.

"Bag humbug Pokemon," she muttered. "It was all a dream."

"What was a dream?" came a voice.

"Not again!" yelled Nala as she jumped out of her bed.

She strained to see the Pokemon in the darkness. It walked forward and revealed itself to be Masked Bird the Hawlucha. She had a green glow around her and her cape's trees had decor on them.

"I am the ghost of Christmas Present and I've come to show you what your actions will do in the present day," she said.

"Forget it!" screamed Nala. "I've had enough for one lifetime after that Mirela character came in here."

"I'm not giving you a choice, Nala," said Masked Bird and she gripped Nala's tail in her claws. Summoning another portal, the two hurtled through it.

"So," asked Nala. "Where are you taking me this time?"

"To where your team-mates are," replied Masked Bird. "Including myself."

"Sooo ... back in the living room?" asked Nala.

" ... if you say so," answered Masked Bird. Her serious look never faded and she kept looking forward.

Nala took this time to view the tunnel. It was very much like the golden one she and Mirela had gone through, only this time it was an emerald-green and holly green dust swirled around them.

Just as Nala was about to comment on the tunnel, another bright light enveloped them ...

They landed in the living room, with Masked Bird releasing Nala just before she landed. Nala managed to land on her paws this time, but when Masked Bird brushed past her, she collapsed.

"So ... watch for yourself," said the Hawlucha. "This what your actions will do later tonight ..."

Nala rolled her eyes and looked on.

It was four hours after Nala had left to go to bed. Nala and Masked Bird looked on as they listened in to different conversations.

"Nala is such a stupid team-mate," complained Jayla. "I wish master had never caught her."

"Come on, Jayla," soothed Avacream. "Sure, Nala is a bossy brat and a Pyroar who hates fun, but that doesn't give you the excuse to wish she was never caught."

"It's just ..." sighed Jayla. "She's so mean. Especially to poor Keyana! I mean, look how that turned out."

The two nodded sadly and got back to their work.

"What did they mean by 'especially to poor Keyana'?" asked Nala.

"We shall see in a moment," replied Masked Bird. She suddenly gripped Nala's neck and dragged her over to where Tor and Flazie were.

"Sometimes I wish Nala could come celebrate with us," sighed Tor. "Think of all the laughs we've had together."

"What laughs?" interrupted Flazie. "She never even smiled!"

"True," continued Tor. "But deep down my ninja instincts are telling me that she has a speck of Christmas cheer."

"Pfft, yeah right," stated Flazie. "Look what she did to Keyana. The poor Klefki. Add to that her condition and you can see why we all hate her."

"I guess so," sighed Tor and the two hung up some extra decor on the tree.

"How dare they?!" snarled Nala. "Hate me?! I am totally likeable!"

Masked Bird shook her head.

The two eavesdropped on the other conversations and Nala discovered that everyone hated what she did. She also discovered that they all felt sorry for Keyana.

"Now it's time to see the little Klefki whose keys were broken because of you," stated Masked Bird.

"Fat chance!" seethed Nala. "Especially after what you called me. A -"

"It's better if you don't repeat it, you silly Pyroar," interrupted Masked Bird sternly before gripping Nala by her tail once more and zooming up the stairs. When they got up, they went inside the Pokemon's designated bedroom, where they found Keyana sniffling and Cecilis and the other children trying to comfort her. She and the two shiny Basculin sisters were in a huge pool of water that was specially for them to sleep in.

"Ssh, it's OK, Keyana," whispered Cecilis.

"If I was you, I'd jingle my keys and scare 'er away!" yelled Base-Line.

"And if I were you, I'd set up defenses so that she couldn't hurt me anymore!" stated High-Line.

"Now, now," countered Cecilis. "What have I taught you two girls? Violence never solves anything -"

"Except in a Pokemon Battle," the sisters continued.

"Right," said Cecilis. "And besides, Keyana is too weak to fight. Remember her condition. Because her arms are not strong enough to hold keys (only key rings) she can't fight. And this condition makes it hard for her to survive. She can't eat so we have to help her."

Back with the two visitors, Masked Bird hit Nala on the head with her fist.

"See? You shouldn't abuse a child that has a condition. Besides, she was so kind to you, being polite and asking ya instead of taking you out by force."

"So what?" retorted Nala. "If she trains, her arms will get stronger and she'll live!"

"You just don't get it!" yelled Masked Bird.

"Take me back to the present day," ordered Nala. "And tell the third spirit I don't want them to visit me!"

"Oh, I'll tell him alright," growled Masked Bird, and she kicked Nala into the familiar light that had appeared ...


	5. Chapter 5 - Ghost of Christmas Future

_Chapter 5_

"Ahh!" cried Nala as she woke up. She looked around the room but Masked Bird was nowhere to be seen.

"Stupid spirit," she muttered."Well, at least the third one won't come now -"

Suddenly a figure floated out of the darkness. Its red cape (which was decorated with dead trees) obscured its face so it couldn't be seen.

"And I spoke too soon," sighed Nala.

"Nala Pyroar, I am here to escort you to your Christmas future," stated the figure in a spooky tone.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it," interrupted Nala. "Lemme guess, you're known as the Spirit of Christmas Future?"

"Correct," replied the figure. "Now, take my cloth hand and we shall leave."

"If you insist," muttered Nala and she took the purple cloth hand in her paw.

The figure shot out a purple ball of shadow (in other words a Shadow Ball) and the two leapt through.

"What's with all the streaks of light?" asked Nala and dark red dust swirled around them. The red tunnel in which they were flying though was like the previous two, but this one had many holes in which light streaked through.

"We're heading through a time tunnel to the future," explained the figure. "The future will never be decided fully, so all these holes are to represent the different outcomes and that's where the light comes from. I am taking you to your most likely future."

"Oh," was all Nala could say.

The two floated through a white light ...

They landed in a snowy swamp clearing which was littered with ... tombstones.

"Uh, where are we exactly?" asked Nala, padding through the snow. She realised that she wasn't leaving any footprints. "This doesn't seem Christmassy ... it's more Halloween scenery."

"Oh no, this is Christmas scenery," stated the figure, finally pulling back its hood to reveal that it was Mystrir the Aegislash in his Blade Forme. "It's Christmas Day here at Route 14."

"Route 14?" repeated Nala. "You mean that place where there are lots of stones that look like tombstones? Why couldn't we have landed near Geosenge Town if we wanted a graveyard?" she whined.

"Because of them," replied Mystrir, swiping his hand in front of her face and pointing towards a group of Pokemon. He and Nala went up towards them and watched the events unfold.

It was the children and Cecilis who were looking down silently at a small grave. In the distance, Sammy could be seen, trying desperately to hold back tears and eventually turning around and running away.

"What's with them?" asked Nala selfishly.

"If you open your eyes and your heart, you would understand," answered Mystrir in a cold voice.

Nala turned back and saw Cecilis depositing some keys. Suddenly it dawned on her. Paws trembling, she read the writing on the grave.

"Here lies ... Keyana the Klefki."

Nala's eyes were beginning to water.

"No ... it can't be. She can't have ..."

"After your treatment of her a year ago, she lost all hope of survivng, and began to neglect eating. Famished, she finally passed away in more pain than you could imagine," whispered Mystrir.

Cecilis's eyes were tearing up, but she blinked them back for the sake of the others.

"Come now," she said. "We must visit the other grave."

"Do we have to?" moaned Tosca. "We only agreed to visit Keyana."

"What have I repeated to you over and over?" asked Cecilis. "We must be respectful to all those that we meet."

"OK," sighed Tosca. The little Carbink turned to face Keyana's grave one last time. "Goodbye ... Keyana ..."

The group floated over to another grave, with Cecilis using Psychic to levitate and Tosca letting Base-Line and High-Line grab her 'ears'.

"Whose grave is this?" asked Nala tearfully.

"Look," replied Mystrir.

Nala read the writing. "Here lies ... Nala the Pyroar ... NO!"

"Yeah, hi Nala," greeted the shiny Basculin sisters. "Can we go now?"

"Wait, did they just hear me?" asked Nala.

"No," sighed Mystrir. "They were saying 'hi' to your grave. That was just coincidence."

"No," repleid Cecilis in reply to the shiny sisters. "We must be ... oh alright."

"YES!" the children sighed with relief. They rushed out of the clearing.

"I'm sorry Nala," apologized Cecilis, looking at the tombstone. "When you died from Heliolisk's Focus Blast, I knew that nothing would ever be the same again."

Nala's mouth was open slightly as she took in the words.

"I'm so glad you died," continued Cecilis angrily. "The way you treated poor Keyana! The children! Your own team-mates! This is the last time we'll visit, so go ahead! Rest in peace with all your battling experience! I just hope you're happy with all your victories. Just remember this; we all hated you and we still do. Now that you're gone, I hope that everyone's lives will improve. I hope that master's heart will repair quickly enough to forget you. I hope that Keyana has finally been avenged."

Cecilis used Psychic again to catch up with her group and her master.

"Oh Arceus," sobbed Nala.

"What Cecilis said is true," explained Mystrir. "After Christmas, you faced off against Clemont's Heliolisk and foolishly thought that your experience would mean that you could endure the Focus Blast. Boy, were you wrong."

"Mystrir," begged Nala. "This can't be my future! This can't be! Please, I beg of you! I've changed; give me another chance. Please!"

"It's too late for that now," muttered Mystrir.

Suddenly Nala felt herself shivering in fear as Mystrir undid his cloak. His blade flashed and he suddenly lifted himself up.

"Mystrir, no!" screamed Nala. "Please! Not Sacred Sword! I can change, Mystrir! I can change! Don't hit me with a super effective move!"

Mystrir sent himself hurling towards Nala; the blade gleaming against the darkened suroundings.

"Too late," he murmured again, and his glare was the last thing Nala saw before all went black ...


	6. Chapter 6 - A Changed Pyroar

**A/N**: Apologies for the late ending, but I couldn't write up a satisfactory ending at the time. I feel this is probably the best I'm gonna type out. Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter 6_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Nala's screams aroused the other Pokemon from their sleep.

"Jeez, grumpy," muttered Jayla. "What are you complaining about now?! The lack of Calcium?"

Nala panted as she took in where she was. The Pokemon's bedroom. With Jayla staring at her.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Downstairs, training," replied Jayla.

"What day is it?" asked Nala.

"Christmas Day," came the reply.

"You mean, it's not too late?" questioned Nala. "Yes! YES! Thank you spirits! Thank you Silva! THANK YOU!"

The Pyroar literally skipped outside, leaving Jayla inside with a puzzled look.

Suddenly Nala's head popped round the corner.

"I almost forgot!" she cried. "I need presents. Presents! And a Christmas hat! And cards and ... and my Flamethrower to be bright and -"

"What is wrong with ya?!" shouted Jayla.

"I've changed Jayla!" replied Nala, giving her Pikachu partner the first smile she'd ever seen. "I don't care about training anymore on Christmas! I care about all those I love and no training is gonna get in the way!"

"Are you serious?" murmured Jayla.

"Yes!" cried Nala gleefully. "Um, could you help me with the presents?"

"Uh, sure I guess," replied Jayla, halting in the sentence at points.

"Great! Here ya go! Follow me and don't come out until I give the signal. Oh! Um, Happy Christmas."

Jayla looked at her smiling companion and smiled back.

"You know, I've been waiting to hear that since you first joined. Happy Christmas Nala."

Down in the living room, the Stellar Stars were all gathered round the tree, awaiting instructions on what to do.

"So ... what area should we train in today?" asked Flower, shaking her petals in an attempt to wake herself up a bit. Her Venusaurite earring rocked back and forth on her left ear.

"I dunno," replied Sarah. She folded her arms. "Maybe our tactics?"

"Or perhaps our speed?" suggested Cosma, a Crobat who had this fixation on being the fastest of everyone. She zoomed from one corner of the room to another. "Well, maybe YOU guys need practice, but I'll still be faster."

"Quit it Cosma!" shouted Flazie, laughing. She and the Crobat were the best of friends. "Maybe we should brush up on type weaknesses?"

"Oh come on!" sighed Torrer the Furfrou. "Let's celebrate Christmas! We can celebrate for a bit, and then do some training. Nala's not the boss of us; our master is!"

"You're right," came Tor's reply. He stood up and addressed the group. "Guys, we're gonna enjoy this day today, even if it means we have to train. Let's celebrate for now!"

"Yeah!" the others cheered.

"I don't think so ..." came a low voice from the stairs. Everyone turned around and gasped when they saw Nala, decked out in a Christmas hat and a rather large sack in her mouth. She dropped it on the floor as soon as she was on the ground and approached everyone with a cold look.

"Nala!" exclaimed Airlight. "We were ... we were just ... um ... trying to ... "

"I know what you were doing," snarled Nala, her teeth glistening. "And in this sack is something that's going to change your minds to agree with mine."

She pulled on the rope and ...

"Merry Christmas!" shouted Jayla, leaping out.

"What?!" exclaimed the others. They turned to see Nala's reaction.

They couldn't believe their eyes.

Nala was smiling!

"Merry Christmas to all of you!" she cheered. "We're gonna have fun and not care about training!"

The other Pokemon exchanged faces.

"Uh, Nala," asked Lila, cautiously approaching the Pyroar. "Are you OK?"

"I'm better than OK!" replied Nala. "I'm fantastic!"

"Nala's had a change of heart," explained Jayla. "And she's got surprises for all of you!"

At this, Jayla dove back into the sack and began giving out presents.

"Tor, this is yours!" she said, handing the Greninja a black mask. Tor wrapped it around his head and smiled.

"This is brilliant!" he said, dropping into a ninja pose. "Now I feel like a true Greninja!"

"And Flazie, here's yours," continued Jayla, handing the bird a packet of Spicy Poffins.

"Cool!" replied the Talonflame. "I've always wanted to try Spicy Poffins. They're from the Sinnoh region, right?"

"Right," said Jayla. "I overheard master talking about one of her journeys there."

Jayla distributed more presents out. Flower got a polishing set, which she used to clean her Venusaurite with joy. Lila got a paint set and Screely (a Dragalge with a love for fashion) received a beautiful Dragon Scale necklace. Jayla gave out many more presents to the other members.

Whislt this was going on, Nala sneaked away. She found the room where Keyana was, and entered. The little Klefki was focusing all her energy into mastering her Flash Cannon move.

"Keyana?" asked Nala.

"Aiee!" screamed Keyana. She turned round. "Oh! It's you Ms Nala. I was just practicing my Flash Ca -"

"I know about your condition," sighed Nala. "And I want to say that I'm ... sorry. I'm sorry or the way I yelled at you. I had no right to do that. I -"

"I forgive you, Ms Nala," interrupted Keyana, floating over and burying her tiny head in the Pyroar's fur. Nala was surprised at first, but then she relaxed and rubbed her nose on the little Klefki's metal arms.

The two went back downstairs and celebrated Christmas with the others. When night fell, Nala took Keyana aside as the others headed outside.

"Come on, I've got a special gift for you," said Nala. Keyana rode on her back as they went outside.

"Well, here it is," said Nala, her voice chirpy. Keyana gasped in delight at the sight.

Everyone was gathered around a large beacon of some sort. To the side, Masked Bird was clapping her claws together, Mystrir was shaking the dust of his body and Mirela was smiling and clasping a toolbox in her talons.

"Stay right there," ordered Nala as she padded to the beacon. She took a deep breath and then unleashed her mighty Flamethrower.

Almost instantly the contraption began to whirl into life, and the bulb on top shone brightly. Then it unleashed beams of light that  
brought light to all corners of Anistar City. In a dark alleyway, a small, shivering Machop looked up when light fell on top of it. It smiled and said, "Thank you."

Other beams reached other abandoned and homeless Pokemon and they smiled at this. Back at the house, Keyana hugged Nala.

"Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!" she cried happily.

"You're very welcome," whispered Nala.

Then the two joined the others in some carol singing. As she walked, Nala smiled at Mirela, Masked Bird and Mystrir and all three smield back. Nala thought she saw Silva there as well, smiling at her and saying "Happy Christmas my lovely." Nala blinked and the ghost Sylveon was gone.

"Happy Christmas to you too dear," she said to herself. "And thank you."

Then she erupted into a rendition of 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' with the others as the stars shone brightly and a Delibird tiptoed across a rooftop, checking its tail for a gift it had missed out.

The label read,

"To Nala, you've changed and become a good Pyroar. Have a merry Christmas, from Santa and Delibird."

THE END


End file.
